Michael Gove said he would never stand for the Tory leadership. But Iain Martin wrote, in 2012: "Perhaps he will be able to overcome his fear . . . Those who care about the future of this country should hope so: the Tories need their Iron Laddie and so do we."

Iain Martin is a political commentator and author based in London. He writes for the Sunday Telegraph and edits CapX, a website promoting popular capitalism. He is writing a new history of the City of London.